One year after its anniversary event, the PredictWind P Class Nationals return in three days time, 5–9 January 2026. Both the Tanner Cup and the Tauranga Cup are up for grabs.
The 2026 entry list reads like a cross section of New Zealand’s current youth sailing pathways, with strong representation from Auckland, Tauranga, and Wellington clubs, and a concentration of sailors already active beyond the P Class.
With plenty of talented young New Zealand sailors in the fleet, this will make for a highly-competitive event.
For the uninitiated, the P Class is a single-handed youth dinghy designed in New Zealand and sailed almost exclusively here. The design dates back to the early 1920s, when engineer and sailor Harry Highet produced a small, economical boat that could be built locally and sailed hard.
At just over seven feet long, with a narrow beam and simple rig, the P Class was never intended to be forgiving. Early boats were timber built, cotton sailed, and notable for being unsinkable and easily righted. Construction has since moved through plywood and aluminium to carbon rigs and modern foils, but the handling challenge has remained.
The boat does not tolerate passive sailing, which is why the class continues to be regarded as a demanding training ground for sailors moving into higher-performance fleets, where balance, timing, and judgement matter.
The Tanner Cup
The Tanner Cup is the inter-provincial title. Each province is represented by one sailor, selected through local trials.
The fleet is small and evenly matched. Results tend to form early, with limited opportunity to recover from poor starts or missed decisions. With fewer boats on the course, results are shaped by positioning, boat handling, and judgement rather than traffic. Errors are visible and costly across a short series.
The Tauranga Cup
The Tauranga Cup is the open national championship. The fleet expands and racing runs across three consecutive days.
Starts are busier and lanes harder to hold. Scores stay close and movement through the fleet is common. Single race results matter less than steady finishing positions across the series.
Race wins help, but titles are more often built on avoiding large scores than chasing standout results.
Across both trophies, the pattern is familiar. Early races reward sailors who settle quickly. The middle of the regatta reshuffles the fleet as conditions change. By the final day, results are often shaped by recovery races rather than dominant wins.
The Tanner Cup will identify the sailors who can deliver under immediate pressure. The Tauranga Cup will favour those who can string together solid results across a full championship.
Learn more: https://kyc.org.nz/p-class_nationals_2026/
